My sister and I went to Springdale, Arkansas the first weekend in April to run the Hogeye Marathon. Springdale is the 4th largest city in Arkansas with a population of around 80,000 people. I knew the city was small considering where I live, the population is over a million people if you include the surrounding suburbs.
I feel like a disclaimer is needed right off the bat. There were lots of things that I think should have been done differently and I feel it is important to share my experiences and not sugar coat things.
The Hogeye Marathon celebrated its 43rd year this year. I was expecting a well oiled machine as you normally don’t get to 40+ years without doing something right. I was expecting a smaller expo and a smaller field of runners due to the size of the city and other factors.
Before leaving, I Google mapped the course with street view just to see what it looked like. One of the maps provided by Hogeye looks really long (I did it up in Strava as well and it was about 1/2 mile long there). Parts of the course looked really pretty and parts of the course looked really sketchy. Around 9 miles of the course ran along the different trail systems they have in northwest Arkansas. I was not really a fan of the course but was willing to give it shot. I realized after the fact, that the course maps were different – the interactive one had a part that the downloadable one didn’t.
We went to the expo on Friday afternoon after driving the 2 hours from our city. We picked up our packets and walked around the expo that fit in a small convention hall at the Jones Center which struck me as a YMCA/YWCA of sorts with lots of different activities available to people. The expo struck me as old school. Those who had pre-registered checked in for their distance and were checked off a printed spreadsheet. We got our bibs which had old school timing devices on them and then got our shirts.
My sister decided to drop to the half after dealing with a cough and congestion over the last few weeks. I entertained the idea as well but decided to give it a shot. I had been struggling with being sick as well and hadn’t really trained very well the last couple of weeks and the longest I had run was 18 miles. According to the information on the website, this was a $10 charge after April 1. My sister wasn’t charged to change races.
After the expo we head to Walmart to get a few things we forgot and then went to check into our hotel. Our hotel was a few miles from the start/finish line but due to the size of the city really didn’t have too many options in Springdale itself.
We then took it easy and tried to stay off our feet as much as possible. We got some dinner at the Waffle House by our hotel and then got ready for the race the next day. I decided what outfit to wear (I always have a couple different variations) and decided on shorts and a long sleeve shirt on top. I knew the weather was going to be cool in the 50s at the start and be in the 70s before I finished.
We read through the information that we were given with our packets and noticed several differences between what the website had said and what their information had said. For instance, the early start was supposed to start at 6:15 but in their info it said 6:00. They had a pasta dinner the night before. The times were different between what the website said and their information. These things and seeing how the expo was handled didn’t really fill me with confidence. We were also supposed to be able to sign up for the early start at the expo. Instead when I asked, they said “I just write your bib number down tomorrow.”
I had some pre-race jitters and did not feel prepared for this race but I normally don’t. I think it is just something that comes with running long distance and the taper madness. I knew that once I started there was going to be no turning back and I either had to finish or take a DNF. (Hogeye is adamant about NOT being able to change distances on race day which totally stinks.)
We drove towards the start line and parked at the Jones Center and then walked to the start/finish line. I had decided to take the early start at 6:15 to give myself 45 extra minutes to finish. The early start is unsupported and you have to dodge traffic. I barely made it in time but did do the early start.
Start-Mile 2: The start of the race was in front of the Apollo on Emma Street. We headed east on Emma and hit mile 1 and close to mile 2 before we turned off Emma. By the time we turned it felt like we were leaving civilization. This section of the course was pretty flat. I knew from looking at the course that hills were coming so at this point I just was biding my time. I had decided not to start my music as I knew I was going to be dodging cars. I decided to hold off until I started to really struggle and could use the distraction.
Miles 2-4: This section turns off Emma onto Butterfield Coach and you are there almost a mile on this stretch. Before reaching Mile 3 you turn off Butterfield Coach and onto Friendship Road. This section gets really sketchy. Houses were run down and boarded up and I felt really uncomfortable in this section. In my opinion this section was not part of the “scenic” course I was promised. Right before mile 4 the course crosses Highway 412 for the first time. By this time the sun had come up as we started when it was dark. The sun rise was really pretty that morning. During this section I also caught up with a couple of older gentlemen who had also taken the early start. It was fun to chit chat a little to make the time go by and hear about their experiences with different races.
Miles 4-7: Mile 4 continued on Friendship Road but felt like we had finally made it out of Ghetto Springdale and headed back towards civilization. Before mile 5 you turn onto Don Tyson Parkway for the first time and are on this stretch for several miles. Here is where were started getting into some of the hills and my legs were not to happy with me. Most of this stretch was “open” to traffic but had one lane closed off for runners. This I guess was their idea of a “closed” course.
Miles 7-9: Here was the first stretch of trail running. At mile 7 the course turned onto Powell St. and then hit the Lake Fayetteville Trail system. This section was fairly pretty especially after you got past mile 8. There were lots of switchbacks and curves and even some pretty steep hills in this section. Also during this section you left Springdale and went to Fayetteville. Around mile 8, the half split off from the full and went back into Springdale and headed towards Emma to finish. By this point, I was on the struggle bus and really wanted to take the turn and drop to the half but I knew based on everything I had seen previously that that was NOT an option. This is one of the first races that I have seen a once you start you are stuck with that distance or you don’t finish policy. Most races don’t advertise it but will let you drop mid race if you need too. It was getting hot and I felt like the aid stations were not close enough. Some sections were a couple of miles between aid stations. The first relay exchange also happened in this section.
Miles 9-11: This beginning of this section as really pretty as you went around Lake Fayetteville and could see the lake right next to the trail. After getting past the lake, it became pretty boring as it was really nothing but trees and wooded areas with the occasional river crossing. I was so ready to be back on the streets after this.
Miles 11-13: This section was interesting. You get off the trails and back on to city streets – Ball Street in particular- in yet another city – Johnson. This section of the course was NOT closed off as it was a 2 lane road. So you still had to dodge cars. The race had volunteers directing traffic during this section but I remember looking behind several times as I had started to struggle a lot around this section just to make sure that I wasn’t being caught by the police and the tail end of the race. I was also thinking, I didn’t pay $100 to have to take my life into my own hands once the race was in progress. I was planning on doing it for the first couple of miles but not for the entire race! During this section, some Johnson cops caught me looking at my watch and jokingly said, you’re almost there. I half joking, half frustrated said back I wish – still lots of miles to go. From Ball Street you turn on Hewitt St. and then to Johnson Road. Right before Mile 13 you find Don Tyson Parkway for the second time. During this section I started noticing signs of dehydration and started drinking from my water bottle. I was feeling that the aid stations were not close enough together as I felt like I really needed Gatorade not water.
Miles 13-15: This is were stuff started really falling apart. You continue on Don Tyson Parkway until right before 15. This section was really hilly and my glutes were singing to me. I had really slow down as instead of the roller type hills we had had previously, these were really tall, steep uphills. As I was going down one of the downhills right before mile 15, I heard a pop in my left knee. And then instant pain. I stopped at the aid station which happened to be right there and then tried to walk it out but things were not getting better. After I realized that things probably weren’t going to get any better and that continuing the remaining 11 miles was still a long distance off I decided to drop out of the race.
I headed back to the aid station and told them I was done. They didn’t seem to know what to do. I had only seen one medical tent on the entire course to this point. I had seen a pair of bike EMT’s but left them at mile 12. (In re-reading the information from Hogeye – medical personnel were only at the relay exchanges – every 5-8 miles. They did have the bike EMT’s on the course and could be summoned at the aid stations.) Most races have medical personnel every aid station or at least every other aid station. I didn’t feel like I needed medical personnel I just wanted to drop out and get back to the start finish line where I knew my sister was waiting as she had also dropped out of the half at mile 2 1/2. All I was wanting was a ride back to the start/finish line or to my car. They had just had a gentlemen come and restock the aid station and he took me back to my car. They didn’t ask for my bib number, they didn’t notify anyone, for all I know, the race directors thought I was still on the course even when the race finished.
So before you all start saying about how running is bad on the knees, science has shown that it is not. It helps actually. I had a similar thing happen to me a couple of years ago and come to find out, thanks to a chiropractic genius, my hamstrings are to blame. I knew they had to have been tight with just how much pain my glutes were in, going up and down the hills. I made the decision to stop so I didn’t get a worse injury as I wanted to be able to run Flying Pig and Ogden next month. So I will start adding lots of hill work and hamstring/glute strengthening exercises in the next few weeks as well to try to make up for the difference.
There were several things which I felt should have been done better including:
- taking into account how warm race day was going to be and adding a few more aid stations – some were 1-1/2 miles in between and some were 2 or more miles in between.
- making sure your information is consistent between all publications – don’t have one thing on your website and another thing on your brochure included in your packet
- giving people the option to drop to the half during the race – especially if conditions are less than ideal – hot, cold, rainy, etc. I felt like I had to no options and I either had to take a DNF or I had to finish
- letting people sign up for the early start at the expo like you said was needed
- better communication with your aid station staff about what to do with people dropping from the race. I am guessing I am not the only one who didn’t make it that day to the finish line.
- more medical personnel on the course. Only having medical every 5-8 miles I feel like is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Most races have them at either every aid station or every other aid station which would have been every 3-4 miles.
So now what? I am regrouping and making a commitment to myself to get back to consistent training and focus on making the distance happen at Flying Pig in Cincinnati in less than a month.
Do I feel the need to go back to Hogeye next year and finish? No. Normally I would with not finishing a race. I have no regrets and nothing to prove to myself in this race. Unless we decide to go back and run the half, this will probably be our only experience with Hogeye.
Until next time,
Candace
Running on Second 